who we are

Warriors Against Melanoma was founded in 2014 by Carola, who is a stage III melanoma survivor. Carola was diagnosed with melanoma when she was 28 years old. She went to the dermatologist for the first time to have a mole removed, with no thoughts that it might be skin cancer. The dermatologist took one look and immediately said he could not remove the mole, that it needed a biopsy to test for melanoma. It came back positive. The doctors did not think the melanoma spread yet, but a biopsy of Carola's lymph nodes came back positive for melanoma. She was shocked that skin cancer could be deadly. Carola had surgery, participated in a clinical trial, and underwent 2 years of chemotherapy. That was over 16 years ago. Carola founded Warriors Against Melanoma to raise funds and awareness for the deadliest skin cancer. See Carola and her family in photo below.

Warriors Against Melanoma (WAM) holds several events each year. Past events include a Poker Run fundraiser at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, and our annual Trivia Night event in Town & Country, Missouri. WAM primarily raises funds for melanoma research. WAM also has donated locally to the Miles Against Melanoma Family Assistance Program, helping families battling late-stage melanoma that need help with medical expenses.

To date, Warriors Against Melanoma has donated over $120,000 to melanoma research and to the Miles Against Melanoma Family Assistance Program.

Warriors Against Melanoma is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization dedicated to education, awareness, and fundraising to find better treatments, and eventually a cure for melanoma.